Imagine Design Blog - Interior Design and Decorating: June 2009

Organize it!

"I once had a friend stay with me for a week and she cleaned out all my drawers. It was a life-changing experience. So go to the Container Store and buy all those drawer dividers and start organizing." -Phoebe Howard

I love these dividers for your drawers! They are perfect for your sock drawers or that one "junk" drawer we all have. You know the one where you throw everything that you just don't know what to do with otherwise! Well, here's a great way to keep all those little items organized and easier to find!

Makeover Monday: Insider tips, tricks & expert advice

"If your bookshelves look bland, paint the back and sides a contrasting color. Pick up the color across the room with an accent pillow or a throw." -Connie Beale

I really like how the yellow background in this bookshelf makes all the items stand out and provides visual interest rather than just a place to store books. If you arrange your books and belongings in an interesting way, your bookshelf will not only serve as storage, but it will look like a work of art!

If you're ambitious, you could paint the backs of your bookshelf different colors according to the season. This yellow is great for summer! Or try adhering a heavy wrapping paper that you admire to the back of the bookshelf during the holidays for a festive look.

Sunday Fun-day!

In preparation for our pool party today, I was going through my drink recipes and I came across this classic margarita recipe from Real Simple that I thought would perfectly compliment the carne asada that we're having! The recipe is so simple and easy to make - try it for yourself and let me know what you think! I like to add some muddled strawberries and a pinch of sugar for a "fruitier" cocktail.

Classic Margaritas:

hands-on-time: 15 minutes

total time: 15 minutes

serves 4

Ingredients

3/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from 4 to 6 limes)
1/2 cup Cointreau
1 lime, sliced in wheels
Kosher salt (optional)

Directions

In a medium pitcher, combine the tequila, lime juice, Cointreau and 1/2 cup water.
If desired, rub the rims of the glasses with a lime slice and dip in salt. Serve over ice with the lime wheels.

Cool Fan Tip

Beat the heat this weekend! Before the age of electric fans and air conditioning, a hand-held fan was a practical way to move hot, stagnant air away from the face and neck. A hand-held fan is still easy and practical. Waving a fan is so much more fun and effective than waving one's hand (especially to shoo away summertime bugs).

Enhance your fan's effectiveness by applying a few drops of cooling peppermint oil and insect-repellent citronella oil. This is a particularly convenient way to use these oils if you don't want to apply them directly to your skin.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Image credit: http://www.weddingideas2.com/

New Green Loll Outdoor Furniture

Want to add bold color to your backyard, while staying green? Just in time for summer - check out the new line of modern outdoor furniture from Loll Design.

Loll Designs makes contemporary, durable outdoor furniture from recycled materials. You've probably seen their 4-slat Adirondack chair, but the company has a number of other pieces, as well as some new ones, too. They're made from 100% recycled post-consumer HDPE, and 90% of the manufacturing waste is sent to a recycling plant. Loll uses recycled packaging and does a number of other things to reduce the environmental impact associated with business. Here's a preview of some of the new work:

The Cabrio Lounge Chair - made with 320 recycled milk jugs, this low-profile chair comes in seven colors for the price of $319 a piece.

The 405 Chaise - made with 960 recycled milk jugs, this pool-side juggernaut is also available in seven colors for the princely sum of $1,200 a piece.

BBO2 Table and Chairs - the BBO2 chair runs for $190 each and the table for $395, which is just about right if you're looking to set your kids up in style.

written by: Preston Koerner photo credits: Loll Designs

What a lively addition these pieces could make to your backyard or patio!

Yoga rewards for your health

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”

― Oprah Winfrey

Last night, I enjoyed an incredible yoga session! At least once or twice a week I take a yoga class to compliment my regular work-out routine. I think a combination of cardio, weight lifting and yoga or Pilate's is perfect and creates a well-balanced exercise regimen.

Yoga is one of the tools in my life that I use to assist my mind to work in harmony with my body. Stress is the single most important factor that effects every part of our physical and emotional system. Yoga has been an effective way for me to control the stress in my life!

Here are some rewards that yoga can bring you:

The lubrication of tendons, ligaments and joints. It is certainly not something you hear very often, but it is maximized by the practice of yoga on a regular basis.
Massages all organs of your body. Yoga is one of the few forms of activities that massages all the internal glands and organs in the body in a thorough manner, including those - such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. This stimulation in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.
Yoga encourages the mind-body connection and helps to develop focus, balance, strength and flexibility.
Excellent toning of the muscles. Muscles that have become weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and floppiness.
Increased flexibility. Yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including the joints that are never really on the "radar" or rarely exercised.
Complete detoxification. By gently stretching your muscles and joints as well as massaging various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps with the flushing out of toxins and providing nourishment. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing (woo-hoo!), energy and a remarkable zest for life!

These are all great rewards, but the best reward I get from practicing yoga is that I feel my mind much more synchronized with my body. What rewards have you gained from practicing yoga?
My yoga instructor is amazing. I've been going to her classes for almost 2 years and I have noticed an obvious and positive difference in how my body feels. If you are in the Southern California area and are looking to join a yoga class, I recommend Monica Mathews. Here is her website to see her schedule: http://www.monicamathewsyoga.com/
some content courtesy of www.healthandyoga.com
photo credit: cdn-write.demandstudios.com & feelgoodstyle.com/files/2009/01/yoga.jpg

Green Outdoor Entertaining

picture courtesy of Southern Living

Real Simple is one of my favorite magazines. They always have great advice on how to live life easier. Check out these easy solutions from this month's edition Real Simple for an earth-friendly backyard fete.

Grill clean. Charcoal can release damaging chemicals into the air. Switch to a cleaner-burning method, like the uGO Flamedisk ($15 for three, flamedisk.com), which is made of recyclable aluminum and contains ethanol, a renewable fuel.
Save papers. For outdoor birthday parties, forgo place cards and instead use cake-decorating pens to write guest's names across the tops of their plates.
Skip the plastic. Opt for biodegradable tableware made from a natural material, such as bamboo (11-inch plates, $12.50 for eight, conrausa.com).
Keep bugs at bay. When pesky mosquitoes threaten to end your party, drive them away naturally. Strategic placement of some potted marigolds may repel the critters, and they'll also add a nice touch to your outdoor decor.

picture courtesy of The Garden Fairies

Makeover Monday: Insider tips, tricks & expert advice

image from decorpad.com

Turn your bedroom into a blissful oasis. If your bedroom is more like a catastrophe than an oasis, it may be time to wake up and take on the chaos. Designers and sleep experts agree that your bedroom should be a peaceful refuge, a restful retreat that creates an atmosphere conducive to sleep and relaxation.

5 Tips to Turn Chaos into Bliss:

1. Cut the clutter - The more stuff you have in the room, the smaller and more confining the room will appear.

2. Adults only, please - Eliminate from the room all reminders that you have children; your bedroom is about you and your partner.

3. Keep the room purposeful - Our homes have become as crowded as our lives and often our bedrooms do double duty as our home offices, but experts agree that you should get the office and computer out of the bedroom.

4. When it comes to bed linens, splurge away! Your skin will be in contact with your linens for six to eight hours every night.

5. Decoration should be simple but dear to your heart - Stick with colors, textures and images that are meaningful and relaxing to you.

You could build your design around a wall mural: A mural of a sensual tropical scene or restful garden could set the tone. You could even personalize your mural by having a favorite photograph - a romantic scene from your honeymoon, the towering oak tree that grew in the backyard of your childhood home - turned into an easy-to-install mural.

Can you think of some items in your bedroom that you could get rid of or put in a different room in your home? Can you cut the clutter?

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Sunday Fun-day!

Start summer with a splash! This is one of my favorite summer drinks that tastes great with any meal and looks good too!

Watermelon Sangria Recipe

by Kim Hassarud

Ingredients

1 bottle dry white wine
3/4 cup watermelon schnapps
1/2 cup white cranberry juice
2 cups freshly scooped watermelon balls
2 limes, cut into half wheels

Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a large ceramic or glass container and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve over ice. Serves about 7.

I think this drink goes nicely with BBQ chicken and corn on the cob. It would also be a nice drink to serve at a bachelorette party, shower or a birthday party because of its nice pink color. Can you think of any occasions it could be served?

From 101 Sangrias & Pitcher drinks by Kim Hassarud, courtesy of John Wiley & Sons.

Photo Credit: Alexandra Grablewski

Just starting out

Sooo... I've been going back and forth, deciding between a blog and a website. And I've decided that a blog will suit my needs best as of now. I'm not exactly sure what I'll will posting on here or what this will evolve in to, but it is my hope that I'll be able to share stories, images, interesting websites, links, work and play in a simple and pretty way!

Mark and Claudia bathroom remodel

Sink/Cabinet wall

Nutone Recessed medicine cabinet $154 (x2)

Pegasus towel ring $38.95 (x2) available at Home Depot

Stone Mill Cabinet Pulls $19.99 (pack of 5) number of packs varies
Kohler Drop-in Sink $89 (x2)

Pedastal Sinks

Pedestal Lavatory Basin $115 (x2)

Pedestal $99 (x2)

Pegasus 8 inch faucets $118 (x2) available at Home Depot

Shower/Tub
Pegasus tub/shower combo faucet $137

curved shower rod $32.99

Fieldcrest luxury shower curtain $34.99

Thomas O'Brien shower hooks $11.99

No mildew shower curtain liner $9.99
American Standard bathtub $497 5'x32" (biggest that can fit in that space - need to measure to be sure)

Flooring

Mirage Floor Tile (chocolate)

NU Trav Floor Tile (walnut)

Wall Tile

Toilet
Pegasus toilet paper holder $37
Ariel TB222 Platinum 'Anna' Dual Flush toilet $365

Lighting/Electrical
Nutone decorative exhaust fan $104

Forecast Blush Lighting $158.99 (x2)

EcoSmart LED downlight $49.97 (x2)

Nutone exhaust fan $65

Accessories
Hamper bench $129

Forest Floor Art $20 each

Pegasus robe hook $36 (x3)

Pre made vanities

60" double vanity $2,261

72" double vanity open $2,436

Honey Oak single vanity $829

::about::

I have loved design and decorating since I was building homes with blocks, setting up dollhouses and rearranging my parents furniture. Much of my inspiration has stemmed from my mom and dad who were notorious for buying "fixer uppers". They constantly painted, built furniture, repurposed antiques bought at auctions, installed carpet, hung wallpaper and refinished wood floors, all resulting in making a house a home. Watching and learning from my parents, I quickly caught on and began re-decorating my bedroom over and over again. For as long as I can remember, I have been redesigning spaces in my head as soon as I walk into them. My enthusiasm for design and decorating has remained with me since I was building homes with Lincoln Logs, and has grown and developed throughout the years.

After years of helping friends and family design and stylize their homes, I started my blog, imagine, as a place to share design inspiration, keep track of all the things I love and few of my own projects. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from MSUM and quickly realized that, although interesting, this was not the field that I was destined to work in for the rest of my life. I had been decorating homes for friends and family as a hobby during college and while working in the restaurant industry. As my "hobby" grew, I realized it was something more and at that point in my life, I decided that I needed a change. Following my passion, I packed my bags and headed for the sunshine. It was in California that I decided to enroll in school for something that I've always loved - Interior Design.

A few years later, after numerous design courses, internships, certificates, honors received, gaining my real estate license, work experience and practice, I've decided it is time to launch my own business, imagine. Spending years in the service industry, I realized that I thrive by working with and being surrounded by people. I now get to combine my love of working with people with my love of design. After many years of trial and error, I now know that making spaces look good and making a house a home is my purpose. And I can now proudly say that I do what I love!